§ Sir John WheelerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether prisoners will be allowed to wear their own clothes.
§ Mr. Peter LloydThe White Paper "Custody, Care and Justice, the Way Ahead for the Prison Service in England and Wales" announced that the Government aim progressively to allow convicted male prisoners to wear their own clothes if they wish; female prisoners and unconvicted male prisoners are already allowed to wear their own clothes. Prisoners at HMP Belmarsh have been allowed to wear their own clothes since the prison opened last year, and similar arrangements will apply at High Down and Woodhill prisons when they open this year. Formal trials are being set up in HMP Wellingborough and in Huntercombe and Finnamore Wood young offender institutions to assess the implications of a more general move towards prisoners wearing their own clothes.
The White Paper also announced that the Prison Service would consider the scope for permitting prisoners to wear specified items of their own clothing, in particular, underwear, socks and shoes, in advance of extending the arrangements to prisoners' outerwear. Prisoners in category C and D establishments, including open young offender institutions, will, where adequate laundering or exchange arrangements can be made locally, be allowed to wear their own socks and underwear. Prisoners in these establishments will also he allowed to have one pair of their own shoes in addition to a prison issued pair.
The scope for further relaxations will be considered in the light of the trials.